The union government is mulling on a plan to grant more autonomy to the Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) Indian Express has reported.

Human Resource Development (HRD), Ministry has constituted a seven-member committee under the former chairman of IIT- Kanpur M Anandkrishnan to explore the feasibility of granting autonomy to 23 IITs.

The committee is expected to submit its report within two months. The committee will include directors of IITs in Kharagpur, Bombay, Delhi, Madras and Kanpur. It will advise the government on various aspects including amendments in the composition of the Board of Governors (BoG) of IITs.

In the present system, BoG has nine members, all of whom are nominated directly or indirectly by the government. However IIMs have 15 members in their BoG which includes five alumni of the institute.

“Some of the best engineering schools abroad have bigger boards representing diverse voices and experience. They also have a strong alumni presence. The IIT boards are small, and the government controls their composition. There no room or provision for alumni either,” said a committee member.

The panel will also look into empowering the BoG to change the rules governing the daily functioning of the IITs. Under the current provision, without the approval of the President of India, no changes can be made in the rules of the institution.

The union government had earlier granted autonomy to the Indian Institute of Managements (IIMs). The committee will also seek feedback from IIMs before finalising their report.